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Valentine Weber
Valentine Weber (Jan 16, 1791 - Oct 7, 1868) was born on January 16, 1791 to John Weber and Marguerite Calé in Gilsdorf, Diekirch, Luxembourg. He was recorded as Roman Catholic. His occupation was recorded as Ackerer ("farmer"). He fought in Napoleon's Grand Armée during the infamous Russian Campaign, where he was taken prisoner in 1812. He remained in Russia until being let go in 1814 or 1815. He married Margaret Colle on January 21, 1818. Together they had six children: John, Matthias, Peter, Maria Katharina, Elizabeth, and Katharina. At some point before 1819, Valentine and Margaret seem to have moved from Luxembourg to Gentingen, Germany - this is the origin of the German Webers (the ones related to us, anyway). Valentine died October 7, 1868 in Gentingen. He was buried on October 10 in Gentingen. Military Service From the data, it seems that Valentine was incorporated into Napoleon's Grand Armée on September 25, 1811 in the 4e régiment d'artillerie à cheval (4th regiment of horse artillery). He was involved in the Russian Campaign which lasted from June 24 – December 14, 1812. He became a Prisoner of War in Moscow in 1812. However, Moscow was taken without a battle and it seems that this regiment was involved in three major battles in 1812: Battle of Borodino, Battle of Maloyaroslavets, and Battle of BerezinaFrench Horse Artillery Regiments and the Colonels Who Led Them 1791-1815. At The Napoleon Series. Accessed May 17, 2016 at http://www.napoleon-series.org/military/organization/c_artyofficers1.html, the latter two being after the army left Moscow. So it is likely he was either captured in a skirmish or most likely during the Battle of Borodino, especially since the French name for this battle was Bataille de la Moskova. This battle took place September 7, 1812 and "the fighting involved around 250,000 troops and left at least 70,000 casualties, making Borodino the deadliest day of the Napoleonic Wars"Battle of Borodino Wikipedia Page. Accessed May 17, 2016 at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Borodino. It was shortly after this battle that Napoleon's army began their legendary retreat from Russia in which most of Napoleon's army was killed, captured, or deserted in one of the deadliest, miserable, military retreats in history. Ironically, Valentine likely escaped this terrible fate by becoming a Prisoner of War. According to historian Alexander Mikaberidze, "Russians captured over 110,000 prisoners during the six-month long campaign. ... The harsh winter as well as popular violence, malnutrition, sickness and hardships during transportation meant that two-thirds of these men (and women) perished within weeks of captivity. Official reports ... reveal that 65,503 prisoners had died in Russia by February 1813. ... In early September, with the influx of thousands of POWs, Russian authorities decided to introduce certain changes in the system .... According to a decree ... “the prisoners must not be mistreated in any shape or form, but they must be required to behave humbly and obediently.”. ... Prisoners were then conveyed to rejoin their comrades in detention centers. Upon arriving ... they were quartered with private citizens and were closely monitored by local police. In July 1813, rank-and-file prisoners were allowed to become Russian subjects by taking an oath of loyalty to the Russian sovereign but were restricted in the areas they could settle .... Once pledging allegiance, the ‘newly minted’ Russian subjects had nine months to decide what profession they would pursue. ... As required by the regulations of 1806, POWs received financial support from the Russian government. ... On 25 May 1814, Minister of Police Vyazmitinov announced complete repatriation of any remaining prisoners of war except those who committed crimes"Napoleon’s Lost Legions. The Grande Armée Prisoners of War in Russia by Alexander Mikaberidze. Accessed May 17, 2016 at https://www.cairn.info/revue-napoleonica-la-revue-2014-3-page-35.htm. According to author Maria Kharlamova, "Exercising control over such an army of POWs proved too heavy a burden for the government. So, in 1813, it allowed the POWs to take Russian citizenship – temporary, for a few years, or permanent. In the latter case, they were free to choose a place of residence. The majority of them, however, preferred temporary citizenship, as they were still hoping to return to France. They had to wait until 1815, when Emperor Alexander I signed a decree allowing the POWs to go home. But several thousand French soldiers and officers chose to stay in Russia"French POWs in Russia by Maria Kharlamova at The Voice of Russia, Radio. Accessed May 17, 2016 at http://sputniknews.com/voiceofrussia/2010/12/08/36438424.html. Valentine returned home in 1815 and by 1819 had moved to Gentingen, Germany. In 1857, his service was recognized by Napoleon III who awarded the Medal of Saint Helena to the "405,000 soldiers still alive in 1857, who fought alongside Napoleon 1st during the wars of 1792-1815." Technical Notes Valentine's name showed up on the following list: . It appears to be a list of Luxembourgers who were awarded the Medal of Saint Helena. According to the French title of the file, "The medal of St. Helena, created by Napoleon III, reward 405,000 soldiers still alive in 1857, who fought alongside Napoleon 1st during the wars of 1792-1815." There is no doubt it is he who is represented in the list - it gives his name as Valentin Weber, born January 16, 1791 in Gilsdorf, Luxembourg. It also, interestingly, seems to give his height as 1700 - presumably this is in millimeters, making him about 5'7" tall. It turns out that this list comes from the book 1792-1815 Les Luxembourgeois Soldats de la France by Charles Schaack in 1909''1792-1815 Les Luxembourgeois Soldats de la France'' by Charles Schaack. Publications de la Section Historique de Luxembourg. Volumne 57. 1909. The relevant passage is as follows: Weber Valentin. Né à Gilsdorf le 16 janvier 1791, Weber fut incorporé le 25 septembre 1811 dans le 4e régiment d'artillerie à cheval et prit part en 1812 à la campagne de Russie. Le registre-matricule du 4e régiment d'artillerie à cheval porté en marge du nom de Weber la mention suivante: "prisonnier de guerre à Moscou en 1812." Rentré au pays en 1815, Weber s'établit plus tard à Bettendorf mais alla en 1862 habiter le village de Gentingen (Prusse rhénane) où il est décédé en 1875. Taille 1.70m Which translates to something akin to: Weber Valentin. Born in Gilsdorf, January 16, 1791, Weber was incorporated September 25, 1811 in the 4e régiment d'artillerie à cheval (4th regiment of horse artillery) and took part in 1812 in the Russian campaign. In the regimental-register of the 4th horse artillery regiment, in the margin of the Weber name, are the words: "prisoner of war in Moscow in 1812." He returned home in 1815, Weber later settled in Bettendorf but in 1862 went to live in the village Gentingen (Rhenish Prussia) where he died in 1875. Height 1.70m Other than some slight discrepancies in his post-war information, this has to be the same person. Notes I have several sources for Valentine including a German Catholic church record that is written in Latin and lists him as Valentinus Weber, a compilation of Luxembourg records written in French, and the records from St. Hubertus church in Körperich, Germany written in German that list his name as Valentin and his wife as Margaretha. One record even gives his name as Valentini. His last name has been recorded at least once as Veber"Deutschland, Heiraten 1558-1929," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VZMS-W53 : accessed 20 Aug 2014), Joannis Colle in entry for Valentinus Veber and Margaritha Colle, 21 Jan 1818; citing Katholisch, Koerperich, Rheinland, Prussia; FHL microfilm 466482. Given the different languages of my records, I do not know how he would have spelled his name, but the English equivalent would be Valentine. There is a record that records them having a Civil marriage January 20, 1818 in Körperich and a religious wedding the next day in Gentingen. References "Deutschland, Heiraten 1558-1929," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VZMS-ZCX : accessed 09 Jul 2014), Valentini Weber in entry for Joanne Schmitt and Catharinam Weber, 20 Feb 1853; citing Katholisch, Koerperich, Rheinland, Prussia; FHL microfilm 466482. Banz.biz Webtree: http://www.banz.biz/webtrees/family.php?famid=F27696&ged=Banz Pick Genealogical Transcriptions: Gentingen: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~pick/gentinge.txt Proof of Parents "Deutschland, Heiraten 1558-1929," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VZMS-W53 : accessed 20 Aug 2014), Joannis Colle in entry for Valentinus Veber and Margaritha Colle, 21 Jan 1818; citing Katholisch, Koerperich, Rheinland, Prussia; FHL microfilm 466482. Deltgen.com; Diekirch "Komplettes Familienbuch der Gemeinde 1796-1923"; Accessed at http://www.deltgen.com/ofb/diekirch/ofb1k6729.html Category:John and Margeurite Weber Family Category:Valentine and Margaret Weber Family